5 Dallas Cowboys who’ve become expendable since the NFL Draft

WR, Ventell Bryant

Age: 23

Ventell Bryant quietly had a nice season for the Dallas Cowboys last season. Since getting picked up midseason last year, Bryant carved out a regular role on special teams, even earning occasional snaps as a WR on offense.

At 6-foot-3, 205lbs, Bryant is the big-bodied developmental prospect the Dallas Cowboys like working behind Amari Cooper at the X. And his contributions on special teams made him a valuable member of the 53 on game day. But a combination of circumstances may be working against him in 2020.

https://twitter.com/JoriEpstein/status/1200211116112130054

First, it’s the obvious upgrade at receiver. With CeeDee Lamb now on the team, everybody not named Gallup or Cooper drops down a notch in the WR hierarchy. Bryant, Cedrick Wilson, Devin Smith, Noah Brown, and even Jon’Vea Johnson will be jockeying for position between WR4 and below.

Devin’s speed and experience is not something that can be discounted, neither can Noah’s blocking. Cedrick is probably the smartest and most versatile of the bunch, and Jon’Vea is the best route runner. That’s a lot of players vying for two, maybe three positions on the roster.

The second item working against Bryant is his role on special teams. Last season he earned a spot on the active game day roster by playing special teams. Unfortunately for him there are reports new special teams coach, John “bones” Fassel prefers to use defensive players on coverage units because they’re apt to tackle better than offensive skill players.

Finally, it’s Bryant’s offseason trouble. The Dallas Cowboys’ tolerance towards legal issues is directly related to contributions said player makes on the team. A fringe roster player doesn’t have a lot of room for error on the team and Bryant’s offseason DUI may be the straw that broke the camel’s back.